Johnson's former aide Dominic Cummings last month said Hancock had
repeatedly lied in government meetings on COVID-19, and called for
him to be sacked. Hancock has denied the allegations made by
Cummings.
"It is telling that no evidence has been provided yet," Hancock told
a parliamentary select committee hearing on Thursday, adding he had
never told Johnson anything he knew to be untrue.
Cummings said Hancock had said people would be tested before being
discharged into care homes, which then didn't happen.
On Thursday, Hancock said the policy was that people would be tested
when tests were available.
"On care home policy throughout we followed the clinical advice," he
said.
He also defended his record on procuring supply of personal
protective equipment (PPE).
"Despite local challenges, and I don't deny at all there were
challenges in individual areas, there was never a national shortage
of PPE," he said.
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Cummings said Hancock had said
that all patients got the treatment they needed
during the first peak of the pandemic which was
contrary to briefings from the government's
health experts. Hancock said he
had checked with the officials in question and stood by his words.
"I did absolutely say, both in private and in public, that everybody
got the COVID treatment that they needed," Hancock said.
"I've taken the trouble to check with the chief medical officer and
the chief scientific adviser, there was no point at which I was
advised that people were not getting the treatment they needed."
(Reporting by Alistair Smout and Sarah Young. Editing by Andrew
MacAskill)
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